Woodlands County council held their regular meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 1.
Woodlands County council discussed the following items at their meeting:
- Council requested more information including a traffic impact assessment and a socio-economic study be brought back for Development Permit Application 15-060-2022 Natural Resource Extraction and Processing (Class 1 Pit) on NE 2-62-5-W5M & Plan 092-9270 Block 1 Lot 1. Officials say a public hearing will be scheduled after Woodlands County receives the information.
- A five-year agreement with Lac Ste. Anne County (LSAC) was approved for County Peace Officer Enforcement Services. The agreement includes 80 hours of LSAC CPO’s enforcement services monthly.
- Woodlands County is providing a letter of support for GROWTH REDA’s application to the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program – Rural Renewal Stream. The application would allow Woodlands County, the Town of Mayerthorpe, and the Town of Swan Hills to become designated communities in the program. Companies within a designated community are then able to recruit skilled workers from around the world to fill vacant full-time positions quickly and efficiently.
- Council endorsed a joint letter with Stettler County to Premier Danielle Smith, Minister of Municipal Affairs Rebecca Schulz and Minister of Energy Pete Guthrie advocating for changes surrounding unpaid property taxes from oil and gas companies. The letter follows a court decision on the Alberta Energy Regulator/Orphan Well Association and Trident Exploration. The judge indicated there is a structural unfairness in municipal taxation between the Province and rural municipalities, which needs to be addressed by the provincial government.
The next regularly scheduled council meeting is Wednesday, February 15, 2023, 5:00 pm. The meeting is held in-person at the Municipal Office in Whitecourt and streamed on the Woodlands County YouTube channel. Agenda packages are available on the Woodlands County CivicWeb Portal.
